I would have to say that Joseph Hellers Catch-22, was at least enjoyable to read. There were several aspects about it that made it good and bad at the same time. First, I think the most important thing aspect to look at, is that Heller makes death, a traditionally sickening topic, a humorous event. It is humorous because of the way he illustrates who is crazy. I assumed that Yossarian was the insane one in the beginning. Now, I cant say that I am sure. I like how this book makes the reader think. Who really is crazy Does anyone know Yossarian is doing anything he needs to, to survive.
Does that make him insane In my eyes, e is living on instincts, the way he should. The threat of death keeps him going. He is not insane. So who is insane, the reader, the writer I dont feel that I can answer that. If anything, I think all of the above. It is neat to see how one would act when faced with death. I think what Heller was trying to say is that when someone knows they are dying, nothing makes sense to them. When we see people that know they are dying, we think that they dont make sense. So, we cant really know who is making sense. Its very tricky in that way. This at least kept me awake and thinking while reading it.
I think the ain conflict of the story, was between humanity and the rules. We are forced to do something by law then we pay the ultimate price for it. The best part is that we do it all for the idea that we are protecting those laws. The idea of a Catch-22 is interesting. Its like saying, A person has the right to do anything that another person cannot stop them from doing. This catch appears throughout the entire book. It was quite evident when the Italian woman is talking about the Military Police. It is also clearly evident when Yossarian is walking down the stairs. He is cursing Catch-22, although he doesnt believe n it.
There is no real explanation for Catch-22, thats the catch. It can only be defined as Catch-22. When Yossarian discusses with Colonels Cathcart and Korn, it is easy to see the Catch-22. This situation shows that a Catch-22 causes a person to betray all the values that they have. All this time, Ive been trying to explain what I feel about the book, when I dont know how I feel. This Catch-22 is so strange that my thoughts about it keep changing as I type, changing the way I feel about the book as a whole. Its very odd. I liked the book, but the ideas in it are so marveling that Im not sure what to think.
How Heller wrote this impresses me. His use of the Character Yossarian causes the reader to examine oneself, and also examine the idea of insanity. Overall, Id have to say that this book is definitely good to read, but my feelings are still questionable. I hate to see a book such as this go to waste in the end, lie so many others. There is no reason for it to end this way. It just shows a lack of imagination. There is no sense of individuality in the books ending. IT was simply bad guy dies and loses. There is nothing that is different from any other form of book All of the above stated things are true.
